A Mona Lisa forgery, a sick bachelor pad, a fedora, and a hot chick -- sounds a lot like the Neal Caffrey from seasons 1-3 of 'White Collar', doesn't it?
And while the start of season 4, "Wanted", looked like a series shake-up, it appears that the old gang could be back in the New York office in no time.
Of course, I could be wrong about that. And I hope that I am, because even though the first three years of "cases of the week" and season-long arcs were a pleasure to watch, a little change would be nice. One episode in a different setting isn't enough. I think we could all use a little bit more Mia Maestro on a tropical island in our lives, no?
This episode did precisely what the episode had to do: have Neal establish himself somewhere, making it feel like a new home of sorts. Have a hot chick for him to charm. Have a "bad guy" chasing him. And have Peter reunite with Caffrey to help him at all costs. So this episode was predictable and nothing special. But what matters is what comes next.
But no matter where the next few episodes take place and no matter how long it takes to get back to "normal", it essentially doesn't matter. Neal, Mozzie, Peter and some hottie will grace our screen each week and that's precisely why we watch this show. After all, it's "characters welcome", and plot and storyline "eh, whatever."
The only thing I'm really anxious about is whether or not the show will introduce a season-long arc of some kind involving Neal. The long-term storylines have been hit-or-miss on this show, but I'm still one to get suckered into caring and investing in them anyway.
What are your thoughts about the premiere? Where do you think the next few episodes are heading? And what kinds of things do you all want to see this season?
QUOTES OF NOTE:
MOZZIE: "You run, I run. That's the deal." Best Bromance on TV?
RANDOM RAMBLINGS:
--Ah, how I've missed the bad-ass fedora and the slick hat trick.
--Enjoyed the conversation between Peter and Elizabeth in the car. My future wife (if anyone is stupid enough to marry me) better know the difference between being on deck and being at the plate, though.
--Hector is a P.I.M.P.
--Twenty questions and she doesn't ask what he did for a living in New York? She's bad at that game.
--What girl could possibly turn down the sexual advances of a shady person after seeing a sandcastle masterpiece like that?
THE SCORE: 77 out of 100
It's back and I'm really happy that it is. But this episode was fairly predictable heading in and what happens in next week's episode is far more important than what we saw in the premiere.
